Onwa Collective

They talk about resilience like it is a personal trait. Like some people simply have more of it. Like it is grit. Like it is mindset. Like it is the heroic individual will to survive impossible circumstances.

But so much of what we call resilience is actually infrastructure.

A cousin with a spare room. A mother who can cover the light bill. A friend who has a car. A grandparent with a paid-off house. An auntie who knows somebody hiring. A sibling who can watch your kid. A parent who can put the emergency on a credit card. A family member who can send $800 before the car breaks down, before the job is lost, before the rent is late, before the whole thing becomes homelessness.

That is not just emotional support.

That is a social buffer.”

A simple way to think about it is this: if you suddenly need $100, do you know someone in your community who can lend it to you without putting you in a deeper hole? For many people living in poor networks, the answer is no.”

“Yesterday I tried to share with a friend how different God feels now. Simply here. All around. Like I am floating in a lake. And God is the lake. I am lucky. A lot of time to experience all this beauty of earth, ocean, sky. I wonder where I will be next.”